Printer Ink Costs More Than Champagne Drop-for-Drop

Anyone who owns a printer will be well aware that replacing ink and toner cartridges can be expensive. For some reason, printer ink is priced as though it is some rare, valuable resource - perhaps even as valuable as champagne.

Sorry, did we say ‘as valuable as’? We meant MORE valuable than champagne.

The legend that printer ink costs more drop-for-drop than a vast array of other traditionally expensive fluids such as oil and bubbly has been doing the rounds for years and once again resurfaced in last months issue of consumer bible ‘Which?’.

But how can printer ink possibly cost more than a bottle of Dom Perignon, we hear you ask? Well, if you were to buy a set of OEM cartridges (approx. £45) and a bottle of France’s finest (approx. £109 for the latest vintage) then Dom Perignon is definitely more expensive.

But drop-for-drop, based on the overall cost of a unit (i.e the cartridge and the bottle) and the amount of fluid you get for that cost, printer ink actually works out more expensive - a whopping 51p for a millilitre of black ink in comparison to a quite reasonable 15p per ml. Colour ink, it goes without saying, costs even more.

So why is this? Well, as you are probably aware, most printer manufacturers work on a loss-leading business model. Essentially, a company such as Canon or HP will price printing hardware at cost (or even below!) price in order to tempt new customers. After all, who can resist paying just £30 for a new printer?!

Which is where ink cartridges come in. In order to cover for the losses incurred when the hardware was purchased, printer manufacturers price their ink accordingly - by accordingly, we mean as high as possible. The need to replace consumables every so often drives major profits for printer manufacturers, which is why some manufacturers are keen to try and discredit remanufactured ink and toner cartridges.

It’s important to point out that this practice isn’t the sole preserve of the printer industry; the loss-leading model is also utilised by games consoles manufacturers (with money made on games and peripherals) and most famously by Gillette, who are one of the pioneers of the business model.

So with ink priced at a premium, how can you save a bit of cash to spare on a nice bottle of champers just in time for Christmas?

Buy Compatible or Refill

We know, we would say this being a company specialising in compatible, remanufactured and refilled cartridges but changing your buying habits really is the best way to save money on ink cartridges. We can say from years of experience that our cartridges offer a printing quality that rivals OEM cartridges at a fraction of the cost. Not so sure you believe us? Check out some of our product reviews!

Change Your Printing Practices

How much can you really change about a process that involves hitting a button and waiting for printed paper to churn out of a machine? Quite a lot actually.

Before you hit that print button, make sure your print settings are in order. Preview the document to make sure there are no errors that’ll require a re-print. If you’re printing a rough document, switch to draft mode; the quality isn’t as good, but you’ll save quite a bit of ink. Most of it is common sense really, but it’ll save you a lot of money!

Don’t Print

Just as you wouldn’t drink champagne every day (unless you happen to be particularly wealthy - in which case, why are you worried about the cost of ink?), you don’t need to use printer ink every day either.

However, a lot of people have a sworn dedication to printing absolutely every document they receive when there are plenty of digital sharing alternatives available. This practice not only wastes ink unnecessarily but also harms the environment. Think before you print - if there’s a more efficient way to share a document without printing, make use of it!

Even as the cost of ink spirals to new heights (what are the odds on ink costing more than a mansion within five years?), you can be sure that Cartridge World will always be there to offer you printer ink at a much less extravagant price! Call into your local store today!